Revolving spring toy



Sept. 24, 1957 K R. 'r. DAVIES REVOLVING SPRING TOY Filed April 23, 1956 INVENTOR [2.715 a r z'e's ATTORNEY United States Patent REVOLVING SPRING TOY Richard T. Davies, Milton, Pa.

Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 580,066

1 Claim. (Cl. 4647) This invention relates to a novel toy and more particularly relates to a toy of unique construction including an element or elements which are mounted for free sliding movement relative to an upright support yet which will travel down the support at a slow speed when said element or elements are rotating about the support.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a toy of simple construction involving a novel principle of operation which may be effectively utilized to furnish amusement.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view, partly in section and broken away, of the toy;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof looking from right to left of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view in detail of the toy, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the toy in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 6 and includes a standard or post 7 equipped with supporting means 8. In the embodiment of the invention as disclosed, the supporting means 8 comprise a pair of conventional suction cups. The standard or post 7 is shown as having its end portions 9 extending in the same direction from the remainder of the post 7 and disposed substantially parallel. The terminals of said end portions 9 are secured in outwardly opening sockets 10 of the suction cups 8 so that the concave faces 11 of the suction cups are disposed in the same plane. Said concave faces 11 of the suction cups are adapted to be secured in a conventional manner to an upright surface so that the intermediate portion 12 of the post or standard will be disposed with its axis substantially vertical, as illustrated in the drawing. It will be understood that any other suitable supporting means could be substituted for the supporting means 8 for positioning the upright standard or post portion 12 in a substantially upright or vertical position. The post or standard 7 is illustrated as a solid rod. However, as the description proceeds it will be understood that said post may be hollow or tubular so long as the exterior of the upright portion 12 thereof is of circular outline and of uniform diameter, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The toy 6 also includes a spring, designated generally 13, having a plurality of open intermediate convolutions 14 which are of substantially the same interior diameters, and end convolutions 15 of larger diameter than the convolutions 14. As seen in Figures 3 and 4 the ends 16 of the strand forming the spring 13 are disposed in the ice circles defined by the end convolutions 15 and are thus spaced outwardly with respect to the intermediate convolutions 14, as best illustrated in Figure 4. The spring 13 is disposed around the upright post or standard 12 and as best seen in Figure 4, the inner diameters of the intermediate convolutions 14 are sutiiciently larger than the outer diameter of the standard 12 so that the convolutions 14 when disposed concentrically around the standard 12 will be spaced therefrom and out of contact therewith, as seen in Figures 3 and 4.

As will be readily apparent, the spring 13 will slide [freely on the standard or post 12 and if raised thereon and the spring in either direction, the spring will .gradually' descend along the post 12. It is believed that centrifugal force created by the rotary motion of the spring in combination with the weight of the spring causes portions oi the convolutions 14 through frictional contact with the exterior surface of the post 12 to resist downward movement of the spring so that a gradual descent of the spring results. The rate of descent of the revolving spring very nearly corresponds to the pitch of the spring convolutions, that is, the spring appears to descend at a rate substantially equal to the pitch of the spring for each complete rotation of the spring. However, the spring descends the standard 12 in the same manner irrespective of which direction it is revolved.

The toy 6 also includes a cylindrical cover 17 which is somewhat longer than the spring 13, as seen in Figure 3, and which has an internal diameter slightly less than or equal to the exterior diameter of the end convolutions 15. Thus, the end convolutions 15 frictionally engage the inner surface of the cover 17 to support it on the spring. The exterior of the cover 17 is provided with suitable means to attract attention and provide amusement and which is operative in response to rotation of the cover. Such means, designated generally 18, may assume the form of audible devices such as bells, as illustrated. Each bell 18 includes a hollow casing 19 preferably formed of metal of a type used in the construction of bells and which has at least one aperture 20. The sounding device 18 has a heavy shot or pellet 21 loosely contained therein. An anchoring element 22 which extends from the shell 19 projects through and is anchored in the wall of the cover 17. Any desired number of sounding devices 18 may be mounted on the exterior of the cover 17, preferably in a balanced manner. The cover 17 is formed of any suitable lightweight material such as cardboard or plastic. The cover 17 which is thus of relatively lightweight con struction enhances the aforedescribed gradual rotary descent of the spring, and it will be understood that the cover rotates with the spring for actuating the sounding devices 18. The ends 16 of the spring 13 are so disposed as to not contact the post 12 so that the abrupted ends thereof will not obstruct the novel movement of the spring, and said flared ends, the end convolutions 15, the cover 17 and the parts carried thereby insure that sufficient centrifugal force is imparted to the spring 13 to maintain proper frictional contact between the convolutions 14 and post 12 while the parts are being revolved around the post to insure the gradual descent of said parts.

The inner diameter of the spring convolutions 14 is preferably about one sixteenth of an inch greater than the diameter of the post 12 to obtain satisfactory results. The spring is preferably composed of galvanized steel wire of approximately .064 inch gauge. The post 12 for satisfactory results may be 7 inch in diameter and the inside diameter of the intermediate spring convolutions 14 are then preferably 78 of an inch to provide a radial gap of V of an inch between the convolutions 14 and standard 12.

a ious modifications. and h nges ar contemplated and may obviously be, resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended elairn.

I claim as my invention:

A toy comprising a post of circular outline in cross section, means supporting said post in an upright position, a spring loosely disposed on the post provided with a plurality of convolutions of uniform diameter having an internal diameter slightly greater than the, external diameterof said post to permit free sliding movement .of the spring relative to the post, said spring being freely'rotatable on the post for causing frictional contact between portions of said convolutions and .thepost whereby a braking action is set up to check descent of the spring along the post, said spring including end convolutions of 4 larger diameter than said aforementioned intermediate convolutions, and a cylindrical cover disposed around said spring and engaged and supported by said end convolutions for increasing the centrifugal force imparted to the spring when revolved therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

